A message from the Pastor: November 2014

Dear Friends,
Money makes you happy.

But, of course, we in the Church already knew that.

Conventional wisdom says that money can’t buy happiness. However, research says otherwise – that money can bring happiness – if you spend it on someone else or if you give it away. Making small changes in how you spend money can make a difference in how happy you are.

Studies of happiness have long found that, unless people are extremely poor, getting more money brings only very slight gains in happiness. But researchers who studied a group of people who received large bonuses from their employer found that those who gave away up to one third reported being significantly happier after they gave it away. These findings were corroborated by further studies with other groups of people.

Jesus knew this and spent his ministry telling us. God created us to be generous people. That’s who we are at our very core: generous people, created to give. When we act generously, we become our truer selves – we discover spiritual energy and our faith grows deeper. Giving is a spiritual practice, with profound spiritual rewards.

This month we will be asking you to consider the ways God might be calling you to greater generosity. We’ll be asking you to “grow one” step in your giving. Because money can buy happiness – if, as Jesus taught, we give it away.

Stacey